< Daniel 6 >

1 Det, behagede Darius at beskikke over Riget hundrede og tyve Statholdere, som skulde være i det hele Rige,
King Darius decided to divide his kingdom into 120 provinces. He appointed a governor to rule each province.
2 og for disse tre overordnede, af hvilke Daniel var een, til hvilke disse Statholdere skulde aflægge Regnskab, at Kongen ikke skulde lide Skade.
He also appointed me and two other men to be administrators, to supervise the governors and to be sure that they did the king’s work [properly], in order that the king would not have to worry about anything.
3 Da overgik denne Daniel de overordnede og Statholderne, fordi der var en ypperlig Aand i ham; og Kongen tænkte paa at beskikke ham over det hele Rige.
I soon showed that I was (more capable/able to do the work better) than all the other administrators and the governors. Because of that, the king planned to appoint me to be in charge of the entire empire.
4 Da søgte de overordnede og Statholderne at finde Sag imod Daniel, hvad Regeringen angik; men de kunde ingen Sag eller slet Handling finde, fordi han var tro, og ingen Forseelse eller slet Handling fandtes hos ham.
Then, the [other] administrators and the governors [became jealous. So they began to] try to find something that they could criticize about the way I was working for the king. But I always did my work faithfully and honestly, and was never lazy. So they could not find anything to criticize.
5 Da sagde disse Mænd: Vi finde ingen Sag imod denne Daniel, med mindre vi kunde finde den imod ham i hans Guds Lov.
They concluded, “The only way we can find something for which we can criticize Daniel will be something concerning the laws that his god [his given him].”
6 Da kom disse overordnede og Statholdere i Hobetal til Kongen, og de sagde saaledes til ham: Kong Darius leve evindelig!
So the administrators and governors went as one group to the king and said, “(Your Majesty/O king), we wish that you will live a long time!
7 Alle overordnede i Riget, Befalingsmændende og Statholderne, Raadsherrerne og Landshøvdingerne have raadslaget med hverandre om, at Kongen skal stadfæste en Befaling og bekræfte et Forbud, at enhver, som beder en Bøn til nogen Gud eller noget Menneske i tredive Dage uden til dig, o Konge! skal kastes i Løvekulen.
[We] administrators and governors and district governors and advisors and other officials have all agreed that you should make a law that everyone must obey. We want you to command that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you. If anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he must be thrown into [a pit of] lions.
8 Nu, o Konge! skal du stadfæste Forbudet og opsætte det skriftligt, at det ikke kan forandres, efter Medernes og Persernes Lov, som ikke kan tilbagekaldes.
And because laws made by [our governments of] Media and Persia cannot be changed, [we want] you, [the head of our government], to sign it.”
9 Derfor opsatte Kong Darius Skriftet og Forbudet.
So King Darius [wrote] the law and signed it.
10 Og der Daniel havde faaet at vide, at Skriftet var opsat, gik han ind i sit Hus, hvilket paa sin øverste Sal havde Vinduer aabne imod Jerusalem; og tre Tider om Dagen faldt han paa sine Knæ og bad og lovpriste Gud, alt som han havde gjort tilforn.
But when I found out that [the king] had [written and] signed that law, I went home. I knelt down in my upstairs room and prayed. I looked toward Jerusalem, and the windows were open [with the result that everyone could see me while I was praying]. I prayed three times each day, just as I always did, thanking God.
11 Da kom disse Mænd i Hobetal og fandt Daniel bedende og bønfaldende for sin Gud.
The officials went together [to my house] and they saw me praying and requesting God to help me.
12 Da kom de frem og talte for Kongen om Kongens Forbud: Har du ikke opsat et Forbud om, at hvert Menneske, som beder nogen Gud eller noget Menneske om noget i tredive Dage uden dig, o Konge! skal kastes i Løvekulen? Kongen svarede og sagde: Ordet staar fast efter Medernes og Persernes Lov, som ikke kan tilbagekaldes.
So they returned to the king and said to him, “[Do you remember] that you wrote a law stating that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you, and if anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he will be thrown into [a pit of] lions?” The king replied, “[Yes, that is the law that I wrote]. It is a law of [our governments of] Media and Persia, which cannot be canceled.”
13 Da svarede de og sagde til Kongen: Daniel, en af de bortførte fra Juda, har ikke agtet paa dig, o Konge! eller paa Forbudet, som du har opsat, men beder sin Bøn tre Tider om Dagen.
Then they said to the king, “Well, that [man] Daniel, one of the men who were brought from Judah, is not paying any attention to you or the law that you [signed]. He prays [to his god] three times each day!”
14 Der Kongen hørte det Ord, blev han meget bedrøvet og vendte sin Hu til Daniel for at udfri ham; og indtil Solen gik ned, gjorde han sig Umage for at redde ham.
When the king heard that, he was very distressed. He tried to find a way to save me. All the rest of that day he tried to think of a way to rescue me.
15 Da kom disse Mænd i Hobetal til Kongen, og de sagde til Kongen: Vid, o Konge! at det er Medernes og Persernes Lov, at intet Forbud og ingen Befaling, som Kongen stadfæster, kan forandres.
[In the evening, many of] [HYP] the officials went together to the king and said, “(Your Majesty/O king), you know that [our governments of] Media and Persia have declared that no law that the king signs can be canceled/changed. [So Daniel must be thrown to the lions!]”
16 Da gav Kongen Befaling, og de førte Daniel frem og kastede ham i Løvekulen; Kongen svarede og sagde til Daniel: Din Gud, som du stedse dyrker, han frelse dig!
So the king gave the order, and his servants brought me and threw me into a pit where the lions [were]. [Before they threw me in], the king said to me, “I hope/wish that your God, whom you worship regularly, will rescue you!”
17 Og der blev bragt en Sten og lagt for Aabningen af Kulen, og Kongen forseglede den med sin Ring og med sine Fyrsters Ringe, at intet angaaende Daniel skulde forandres.
They rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the pit. Then the king [fastened a string across the entrance and put wax at each end, and stamped the wax with] the seal from his [ring] and the seals [of the rings] of his officials, in order that no one could [secretly] rescue me.
18 Da gik Kongen til sit Palads og tilbragte Natten uden at have spist og lod ingen Medhustru føre ind til sig, og hans Søvn veg fra ham.
Then the king returned to his palace. That night he refused to eat any food. He would not allow anyone to entertain him [because he did not want to be happy, with the result that he would forget about me. And that night] he was unable to sleep [because he was worried about me].
19 Da stod Kongen op om Morgenen i Dagningen og gik hastelig hen til Løvekulen.
At dawn the next morning, the king got up and went quickly to the pit where the lions were.
20 Og der han kom nær til Kulen, til Daniel, raabte han med bedrøvet Røst; Kongen talte og sagde til Daniel: Daniel! du den levende Guds Tjener, mon din Gud, som du stedse har dyrket, har kunnet udfri dig fra Løverne?
When he came near it, he was very worried. He called out, “Daniel, you who serve the all-powerful God! Was your God, whom you worship regularly, able to save you from the lions?”
21 Da talte Daniel med Kongen: Kongen leve evindelig!
I answered, “(Your Majesty/O king), I hope that you will live a long time!
22 Min Gud sendte sin Engel og lukkede Løvernes Mund, saa at de ikke have gjort mig Skade, efterdi jeg er funden uskyldig for ham, og heller ikke for dig har jeg begaaet nogen Misgerning, o Konge!
[Yes], my God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths, in order that they would not harm me! [He did that] because [he knows that] I have done nothing that he thinks is wrong. And, (Your Majesty/O king), I never did anything wrong to you!”
23 Da blev Kongen meget glad og befalede, at man skulde drage Daniel op af Kulen; og Daniel blev dragen op af Kulen, og der blev ingen Skade funden paa ham, fordi han havde troet paa sin Gud.
The king was extremely happy, and he commanded [his servants] to lift me out of the pit. [When they did that, they] saw that the lions had not wounded me at all. [God had protected me] because I trusted in him.
24 Da gav Kongen Befaling, og man førte disse Mænd, som havde anklaget Daniel, frem og kastede dem og deres Børn og deres Hustruer i Løvekulen; og de kom ikke til Bunden i Kulen, førend Løverne bemægtigede sig dem og knuste alle deres Ben.
Then the king commanded that the men who had accused me should be seized and be thrown, along with their wives and children, into the pit where the lions were. [When they were thrown into the pit], the lions leaped on them and crushed their bones before they fell onto the bottom of the pit!
25 Da skrev Kong Darius til alle Folk, Stammer og Tungemaal, som boede, paa den hele Jord: Eders Fred være mangfoldig!
Then King Darius wrote [this message and sent it throughout his kingdom] to the people of every people-group and nation and from all language groups: “I wish/hope that everything is going very well with you!
26 Af mig er givet Befaling, at man udi mit hele Riges Herredom skal skælve og frygte for Daniels Gud; thi han er den levende Gud, og den, som bliver evindelig, og hans Rige er et uforkrænkeligt, og hans Herredømme varer til Verdens Ende.
I command that everyone in my kingdom should fear and revere the God that Daniel [worships]. He is the all-powerful God, and he will live forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed; he will rule forever.
27 Han er den, som udfrier, og som redder og gør Tegn og underfulde Ting i Himmelen og paa Jorden, han, som udfriede Daniel af Løvernes Vold.
He rescues and saves [his people]. He performs all kinds of miracles in heaven and on the earth. He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!”
28 Og denne Daniel havde Lykke under Darius's Regering og under Perseren Kyrus's Regering.
So I was successful [all] during the time that Darius ruled and during the time that Cyrus, [the King] of Persia, ruled.

< Daniel 6 >